Computer posts, no display

Angel Zodiac

Reputable
Jul 14, 2014
30
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4,530
Okay, so first off I'd like to again point out that the computer does boot and I can get to the desktop (known through audio cues), however, there is no display whatsoever. The build is about a year and a half old, with very few problems, but some problems nonetheless. I've noticed more than once graphical artifacts whenever opening certain programs or playing certain games (extreme whole display distortion), which is why I decided to take a stab at the dark and hope it's a dead GPU (bought a gtx 970). Not to mention the fan began spinning out of control a few months after having it, it would ramp up to 100% fan speed and I couldn't manipulate it through the various software I tried. This persisted through two separate computers, the GPU and PSU being the only common parts. Also... the GPU accidentally being run at 108 degrees Celsius a year ago probably didn't help.. xD (had fan profile set to manual on 20% then proceeded to play Skyrim maxed out.. o.x).


Admittedly, I haven't tried everything when it comes to testing the problem (most of it requires a display) and I don't have onboard video. I have fully reseated the GPU multiple times in every valid slot, tried reconnecting both 6-pin connectors (7850 uses only one), tried every video output method on two different monitors, and booted it numerous times over a period of five days leaving it unplugged for a few hours prior.

I'm at a loss as to what to troubleshoot in the meantime, would moving ram around affect anything at all if the computer is fully (mostly) functional? I'll try to test the power supply tomorrow if my Dad has a multimeter (though that honestly sounds frightening).

My PC specs are:
GPU - XFX 7850
CPU - Phenom II x4 970 BE
PSU - Corsair GS700
Motherboard - Gigabyte 990FXA-UD3 Rev. 3
Ram - Corsair Vengeance 1666 4GB x2
SSD - Samsung 840 Evo
HDD - Don't really remember - secondary partition
 
Solution


You may have fried your gpu. First off, you dont need a multimeter to see if your PSU is working, you can just use a paper clip to test it. [video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixcWCrYpw3Y"][/video]
Try moving the ram, some people get luck from this. I am 66% sure you fried your gpu lol. Do the fans still spin?
 
Solution
As much as that would usually suck, I HOPE I fried the GPU. The fan spins very briefly (1-3 seconds but no more after that). The computer crashed twice before the display stopped working, I was able to fully boot it once then as soon as I launched a game (Diablo 3) proof no more display. I'm typing on a relative's kindle, so sorry if I'm leaving out information - typing like this is exhausting.

So, is the other 34% the PSU at fault in your opinion?
 


Sorry for the late response. Maybe, try the paper clip method to see if your PSU fans spin. I am not sure if the psu is the victim, but i honestly think that the gpu is because you said that the fans spin for a couple seconds then turn off. This also may be that your graphics card is taking too much power and your PSU cannot catch up to it. How many watts do you have?
 
It's a 700w PSU, so unless it's faulty, there's more than enough power for my system.

Wouldn't a multimeter give more accurate results compared to this so called paper clip test? I need to test the specific voltages of certain pins, not see if it works at all (system boots to desktop just fine).

Thankfully, my new GPU is coming in a day early - tomorrow - so I can plop that in and test that. Thanks for the help, I really just want a second opinion.
 


Anytime buddy, I hope you get better luck with your second gpu!
 


Yup, the GPU was fried. Replaced it with an MSI GTX 970 and it's working perfectly - several times better now. Thanks for just all around being there for me in my times of panic, man <3

So, yeah, if you experience these exact symptoms, checking your GPU is a definite must! =)